http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... hair31.xml

Russia bans specimen exports

By Adrian Blomfield in Moscow
Last Updated: 3:39am BST 31/05/2007

Russia has banned the export of medical specimens after the country's spy agency allegedly uncovered a Western plot to manufacture a biological weapon that would make Russians sterile.

In a decree that appeared to reflect the Russian state's growing suspicion of all things Western, the Federal Customs Service forbade the shipment of all human blood, hair, DNA and bone marrow out of the country.

While officials gave no formal explanation for the ban, Russia's most respected broadsheet suggested that the customs service had been ordered to act after the Federal Security Service, the KGB's successor, handed an alarming report to President Vladimir Putin earlier this month.


Quoting unidentified sources, Kommersant said that foreign health institutions were using human specimens to create a "genetically engineered biological weapon" capable of rendering the Russian population sterile or even of killing it off altogether.

Among those purportedly involved in the conspiracy are the Harvard School of Public Health and the U.S. Department of Justice. The FSB declined to comment on the allegations.

The newspaper said the ban had been authorized by deputy prime minister Sergei Ivanov, a hardliner many believe could succeed Mr Putin next year.

Doctors have expressed concern that the ban could lead to thousands of unnecessary deaths. Hundreds of biological samples are shipped out of Russia every day for clinical trials that cannot be carried out locally.

It is unclear whether individual samples, which are often sent for analysis abroad allowing life-saving diagnosis for many curable diseases, are affected.

Officials at the Federal Customs Service said they had been "expressly forbidden" from releasing details about the ban. A health ministry spokesman said it was possible individual samples were exempt.

"We have nothing to do with the ban," the spokesman said. "As far as I know, it primarily targets clinical trials conducted by pharmaceutical companies." Like many foreign companies operating in Russia, pharmaceutical multinationals have come under growing official suspicion of late, with some accused of improperly carrying out tests on children.

I don't get it, they poison a former employee with polonium and their response is that the West is after their nads?

Oh, I get it! Its like yelling terrorism every time you fuck up! Terrorism/Blame the West/The Great Satan, its all the same bullshit! For a moment there I was baffled.

You got to hand it to the Russkies. They've got the whole keep-your-population-poor-and-ignorant-and-paranoid thing going on. The GOP ain't got nothing on them for that.

Russia: still assbackwards

They must cut down the vodka.

i bet any one of us could go over there with a few "five year plans" and take over pretty easily

It would seem that Russia isn't being particularly unreasonable with this Ukraine gas dispute. The previous contract was for gas at $179/ cubic meter, and Ukraine balked at the proposed $250/ cubic meter when it was first up for renegotiation. The market price is about $500/cubic meter and Russia is offering the Ukraine $450/cubic meter. Why should the Ukraine be entitled to discounted fuel?

What price is the EU forcing them to sell at? If the Ukrainians are gonna lose money, then they should play hardball with the Russians.

I don't know, these are just the figures provided by the Christian Science Monitor opinion piece. Its rather difficult to gauge how reasonable each sides position is if we aren't told what the numbers are. I believe Russia provides gas at highly discounted rates to the countries that are on its good side, so perhaps the Ukraine is negotiating with those numbers in mind.

problem is that the gas repricing only started when Ukraine elected a non-Putin-puppet government..

Certainly the political aspects are a big part of the repricing, but Ukraine certainly looks foolish for shooting down the $250 price. Its not like Europe is going to step to the plate for the Ukraine when energy supplies are on the line.

You not say Ukraine weak. Ukraine is game to you?!

Ukraine has nothing on Yakutsk. Many dozens of Risk armies have been lost to the brave defenders of Yakutsk.